A More Rapid Army?

By MARK THOMPSON

Before 10,000 cheering military veterans in Cincinnati last week, President Bush declared he was bringing up to 70,000 U.S. troops home from bases in Europe and Asia over the coming decade. "We'll take advantage of 21st century military technologies to rapidly deploy increased combat power," he told the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His plan drew fire from his Democratic opponent, John Kerry, who said Bush's plan shortchanges both U.S. allies and the war on terrorism. But strategic objections aside, the plan raises more immediate questions about those 21st century military technologies.

In order to whisk warriors to global hot spots in a hurry, the military is counting on its new 19-ton armored vehicle known as the Stryker. The Pentagon persuaded Congress to spend $8.7 billion on 2,096 Strykers because of their ability to be loaded into the ubiquitous C-130 cargo planes, flown to war zones, then immediately rolled down the planes' back ramp and into combat. To convince doubters, the Army even staged a demonstration at Andrews Air Force Base, in which a Stryker and its 11-troop crew emerged from the belly of a C-130 like toothpaste coming out of a tube.

But according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), even a stripped-down Stryker weighs 19 tons, two more than the C-130 routinely carries. And Iraq has exposed the Stryker's shortcomings. To protect against rocket-propelled grenades, common in every war zone, the Strykers in Iraq wear a 2.5-ton cage of steel. This also makes them too large to fit aboard a C-130. The steel cage is only a temporary fix. But the final solution--form-fitting armor that will be ready next year--weighs even more, 4.5 tons, and takes 10 hours to bolt on. That's a long delay for a vehicle designed for rapid entry into combat. The Pentagon, while not disputing the GAO report, points out that the Stryker could be transported by ship and rail if necessary.

--By Mark Thompson